BODY & MIND; KIDS GETTING MORE ANTIDEPRESSANTS

The increased use of antidepressants by children is causing
concern among dentists. A common side effect of antidepressant use is
dry mouth and reduced saliva, and dentists say children on
antidepressants are at increased risk of developing cavities and
infections in the mouth. Saliva coats teeth with protective minerals
and is a natural bacteria-fighter.

According to a 1998 study by IMS, a research company, 800,000 American
children were prescribed Prozac, Zoloft or Paxil, three common
antidepressants, and another half million were taking anti-seizure
drugs.

Delta Dental, a dental benefits program company, urges parents to
alert the dentist if a child is taking antidepressants and to
encourage meticulous tooth-care routine. Children should brush after
every meal, floss regularly, avoid sticky foods and have teeth cleaned
at least twice a year. Children also should drink plenty of water, eat
fruits and vegetables with high water content, chew sugarless gum and
avoid caffeine drinks and spicy - acidic foods.

Talk to the child's doctor or dentist if the child needs to moisten
the mouth often, has a dry mouth at night, has less saliva than before
taking the drugs and has difficulty swallowing and eating dry foods.

Apple or pear?

Here's another reason to get chubby kids to slim down, eat and
exercise more. Cincinnati researcher Dr. Stephen Daniels has found
that children who put on weight around their stomach - so-called
apple-shaped - have more risk factors for heart disease than children
whose weight is concentrated at the hips and thighs, or pear-shaped.
The same phenomenon exists in adults, too. Dr. Daniels, pediatrician
and environmental health specialist at Children's Hospital and the
University of Cincinnati, found in a study of 127 children 9- 17 that
those with more upper-body fat had higher levels of blood fat and
triglycerides, higher systolic blood pressure, lower "good"
cholesterol levels and more mass on the left side of the heart, which
does most of the pumping.

Where fat is distributed, he says, seems to have more of an effect on
heart disease risks than overall fatness: "You can already see this
relationship in children as young as 9 and even in kids who are not
necessarily overweight at this stage."

Drugs and miscarriage

Pennsylvania researchers have verified that cigarette smoking and
cocaine use by pregnant women greatly increase their chances of
having a miscarriage. Nearly 1,000 pregnant women and teens,
predominantly low-income black women, were studied. Of 400 who had
miscarriages, 29 percent used cocaine and 35 percent smoked tobacco,
compared with 20 and 22 percent, respectively, of pregnant women who
did not have miscarriages. University of Pittsburgh doctors pointed
out that cocaine and nicotine decrease blood flow to the placenta and
uterus; nicotine also contains carbon monoxide, which decreases the
amount of oxygen available to the fetus, and cyanide, which depletes
Vitamin B-12, necessary for the baby's growth and
development.

Shelf help: Ritalin

Hyped-up children or a hyped-up culture? Vermont psychologist Richard
DeGrandpre tears down the notion that millions of American children
suffer from attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity, instead
blaming the problem on a rapid-fire culture filled with growing
stress, instant communication and media, speed and fast-paced
expectations. Advances in technology, he says in Ritalin Nation (W.W.
Norton; $23.95), have made modern-day Americans less able to pay
attention, relax and be patient, while drug companies have stepped in

to promote their stimulant drugs as quick fixes, he says. It's
enlightened reading for parents, teachers, doctors and others.